The present invention relates to a novel food spread and its production. In particular, it concerns a food spread containing a mixture of at least an edible oil from a natural origin and a monoglyceride.
Food spreads such as margarine and butter are commonplace in the kitchen. They are used in the home and in industry for cooking, baking, sandwiches and numerous food products. In recent years, attention has been directed to producing healthier food spreads, in the form of reduced fat alternatives to the existing products.
Margarines contain a water phase and an oil phase, which are emulsified. They are generally in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion. The taste of margarines and food spreads is due mostly to water soluble flavors, oil soluble flavors and salt included in the water phase. Margarine type compounds contain at least 80% of fat by weight. The fat content is made up mainly of polysaturated fats. In the production of margarine the polysaturated fats are hydrogenated, however the hydrogenated products are very readily acidified to produce free radical carcinogenic compounds.
Butter, margarine and food spreads contain preservatives and need to be refrigerated. They have no known positive health value and their use is therefore generally based on their taste and cooking properties.
The therapeutic properties of oils from natural origins, such as olive oil and avocado oil have been widely documented. Olive oil has been indicated as having a therapeutic effect in stomach ailments (1, 1a), increasing memory (2), decreasing mortality from heart disease due to increasing blood flow (3) and softening skin (4). Additionally, olive oil is used in relieving ear infection, may reduce the risk of certain cancers (5, 6), decreases calcium loss from bones and increases mineral absorption (7). In children, olive oil has been linked to stimulating growth and development (8).
The properties of olive oil result from its chemical structure. Olive oil is made up of 75% oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid, approximately 14% polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly linoleic acid and about 11% saturated fatty acids. Oleic acid, the main constituent of olive oil is very stable and is therefore less readily acidified to produce carcinogenic free radicals. In contrast, margarine consists of mainly (64%) polysaturated fatty acids and only 30% monounsaturated fatty acids.
Likewise, the properties of avocado oil are a result of its structure. It is made up of 10% 18:2 .omega.-6 fatty acid, 70% 18:1 .omega.-9 fatty acid and 20% 18:0 .omega.-6 fatty acid. As is the case in olive oil, a major component of avocado oil is monounsaturated fatty acid. Avocado oil has a characteristically bitter taste. On distillation of the oil, the taste improves, but the nutrition value decreases.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,895, U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,655 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,727 disclose food spreads containing an oil in water emulsion. However, in the present invention, water, is not used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,626 discloses an edible food product containing an oil phase thickened with a texturizing agent comprising an alkyl-substituted, non-nitrogen containing oil-soluble polymer having a molecular weight of at least 2000 daltons. The monoglyceride of the present invention is less than 2000 daltons. In addition, a food spread is disclosed containing an aqueous phase and an oil phase. The present invention does not contain an aqueous phase.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,398 discloses a fat component useful for preparing a reduced calorie food product, the fat component comprising an edible triglyceride and a polytetramethylene ether glycol esterified with a fatty acid entity. In contrast, the present invention does not contain a polytetramethylene ether glycol.
The background art discloses reduced fat alternatives to margarines and existing food spreads, however, none of these prior art references suggests the production of a food spread containing a mixture of only an edible oil of natural origin, preferably with therapeutic properties and a monoglyceride.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a food spread as is described in the present invention.